Semiserious Chefs

Many years ago our local grocery store started marking down the produce that was beginning to age. In a place where you will NEVER pay last than a dollar and usually easily more than 2 dollars a pound for anything other than potatoes and carrots, getting 3 or 4 pieces of fruit for a dollar […]

This is a spin off Tom Kha; Thai galangal soup with coconut. I would have named it Tom Kha Sauce, but it would have translated to galangal soup sauce, and that’s a little silly. And since I didn’t feel the need to include galangal in this recipe, (it isn’t exactly the easiest ingredient to come […]

I made Pozole Rojo the other day, and ended up with an entire extra pint of the fiery broth left over. Part of it we planned to use for canning pork, and I had planned to use the other half for an Indian style dish of lentils over rice. It just happened that I also […]

So it took me forever to track down decent translations of the Thai words ต้มข่า, tôm khàa, or ‘boiled/soup galangal’. You see you don’t ever see them alone. It’s always ต้มข่าไก่, tôm khàa kài, ‘galangal soup with chicken.’ But I don’t want ‘with chicken’! What I wanted to make available was a vegetarian Thai coconut […]

Almost everyone is familiar with kimchi. Smelly fermented cabbage, right? I’m pretty sure that most of the people who won’t touch it fall into one of two categories: “I don’t do spicy”or “Ew, cabbage! Icky!” Well, if you are a member of the latter group let me introduce you to a very pleasant option. Kkakdugi. […]

It’s pretty obvious by looking at the recipes around this one that I am on a total Korean kick. It all started when I found out what banchan even were through my discovery of Dubu Jorim. I love these little side dishes! One might be sweet, one might be spicy, this one has a ginger […]

I am absolutely addicted to the banchan of Korean cooking! These fantastic little ‘snacks’ are a staple part of every bapsang meal, usually easy to make, and each unique. So far I have been able to make dubu jorim (braised tofu), kongjang (braised soybeans) and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), but this one, gamja jorim, holds a […]

Over the last couple of years I have really expanded the line of products I purchase from The New Central Market here in Anchorage. Given, they have expanded, too. The one thing I don’t usually go for, and probably because I simply like to cook myself, are their pre-made dishes. The owner, Somya, is always […]

This rice cake recipe was inspired by Chef Kirsten Dixon of Tutka Bay Lodge near Homer. She created a recipe that used kippered salmon and a spicy mayo. I decided to adapt it using my mom’s personally smoked salmon, and a recent addition to my cooking repertoire, garlic sesame soy dressing. I was a little […]

I originally created this sauce for a green papaya salad, but soon discovered that it was great for a variety of uses. It’s particularly easy to toss on rice noodles, and it’s perfect to serve with mixed berries, but you can also use it to dress a cabbage slaw, or simply use it as a […]